Very well made, easy to use, Roasts large quantity of beans. Absolutely Stellar customer service !!

Negative Product Points

Expensive compared to other roasters, I had some motor problems but Hottop USA took care of the problem. Chaff collection could be refined some.

Detailed Commentary

This is a very nice and easy to use roaster. For best results use 250 grams of beans per roast, although the unit will hold more or less but in my opinion this makes it harder to get consistent roasts.Both the analog and digital models are very simple to use. Each unit has preset profiles based on the length of time the beans roast. I have found it much better to set the time to the maximum, level 7 on the analog and 21 minutes on the digital. Then I listen for the first and second cracks, the more second cracks you hear the darker the roast. For people who like French and Vienna roasts both units have a plus button to add 30 seconds which can be done a total of 5 times for 150 extra seconds. Both units have a warm up cycle and an audible beep that indicates when to add the beans. This is a quiet roaster which makes hearing the 1st and 2nd cracks a breeze. The Hottop also has a glass viewing window if you prefer to roast by bean color. You have the option to use the eject button manually which sends the roasted beans to the cooling tray or you can let the machine do it automatically at the end of the preset roast cycles. The cooling tray has a blower from underneath that efficiently cools the beans. The tray also has an agitator bars that stirs the beans as they cool. There is a chaff tray that does a fair job of collecting the chaff, although it is far from perfect. This roaster produces quite a bit of smoke so use in a well ventilated area. The Hottop is easy to disassemble and clean. The price is a little steep, but well worth every penny. This is a home roaster and not intended for commercial use.

Buying Experience

Very Satisfied with Sweet Marias, but Hottop USA service is outstanding. Michael answers questions very fast, and they stand behind their product 100%

Three Month Followup

Hottop still roasting great coffee beans, easy to maintain and use. Would buy another one in a minute !!!!!

One Year Followup

Still Roasting coffee well, have changed a couple of parts, which were at no charge. Outstanding customer service.